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Witchfinder

A brilliant novel of espionage and betrayal ***‘One of Britain’s most accomplished thriller writers’ Daily Mail

‘The most authentic spy novel ever written […] an utterly fascinating account of a very dangerous time in British history when elements of the Secret State were out of control’ Edward Wilson

London 1963. The Beatles, Carnaby Street, mini skirts. But the new mood hasn’t reached the drab and fearful corridors of MI5 and MI6. Many agents joined the secret service to fight the Nazis. Now they are locked in a Cold War against the Russians.

And some of them are traitors.

The service has been shaken to its core by the high-profile defections of Cambridge-educated spies Burgess, MacLean and now Philby. Appalled at such flagrant breaches of British security, the Americans are demanding a rigorous review.

Harry Vaughan is brought back from Vienna to be part of it. The Chief asks him to join two investigators – Arthur Martin and Peter Wright – who are determined to clean out the stables, and the first target of their suspicions is the Deputy Director General of MI5, Graham Mitchell.

Harry slips back into a relationship with an old flame, Elsa, and joins the hunt – somewhat reluctantly. He is sceptical of the case against Mitchell and wary of the messianic fervour of the two spycatchers. But the further the investigation goes – and the deeper his commitment to Elsa becomes – the greater the sense of paranoia and distrust that spreads through the ‘wilderness of mirrors’ that is the secret service. The only certainty is that no one is above suspicion.

Including Harry Vaughan.‘If a good spy novel needs anything, it’s uncertainty, a hall of mirrors; and Witchfinder delivers it in spades. Great stuff’ Dominick Donald, author of Breathe

Reviews

Andrew Williams has established himself as a master of the intelligent political/historical thriller. The Suicide Club, set partly at Field Marshal Haig's headquarters in 1917 and partly in German occupied Beligum, is his best novel yet: gripping and disturbing

Allan Massie, The Scotsman Books of the Year

If a good spy novel needs anything, it's uncertainty, a hall of mirrors; and Witchfinder delivers it in spades. Great stuff.

Dominick Donald, author of <i>Breathe</i>

Praise for The Suicide Club

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Every bit as cynical in tone as Mick Herron's Slough House mob... a painstakingly recreated account of the cold war's darkest days

Irish Times

[...] the most authentic spy novel ever written[...]an utterly fascinating account of a very dangerous time in British history when elements of the Secret State were out of control.

The war-damaged Innes is a strong, sympathetic character and the meticulously researched background is fascinating

The Times

Williams has become one of Britain's most accomplished thriller writers. Rich in the politics of war and based on spectacular research into the reality,The Suicide Club delivers a delicate portrait of the intricacies of war, while never neglecting the bravery.